


A Brief Summary of the Blue Freak's Childhood

by bluemandycat



Category: Archvillain Series - Barry Lyga
Genre: Gen, Trans Character, Trans Kyle Camden
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-08 23:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8867383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemandycat/pseuds/bluemandycat
Summary: Kyle Camden has fought tooth and nail for everything he has.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I emerge from hibernation to bring you a fanfic. (Trolls grabbed me in its claws).
> 
> Enjoy!

            Before he was the Blue Freak, the terror of the skies, he was Kyle. And before he was Kyle, he was named Skylar. He’s a precocious little first grader, if a bit withdrawn. His best friend is Mairi, the only one who could coax an emotional reaction out of him, and they grow up playing dolls and jump rope and teasing the boys playing basketball. Everyone calls him “Sky,” although he hates the nickname.

 

            As he gets older, he becomes more and more cunning. He sneaks into classrooms after hours and leaves rubber spiders in supplies closets, just because he can. People almost admire the ten year old who hides fake blood packets and lock picking equipment in skirt pockets.

 

            It’s in sixth grade when the penny drops, and Skylar comes to school with new clothes and a new name. His parents insisted on Kyle, so he wouldn’t butcher his birth certificate too much. Kyle is just happy that they aren’t going to kick him out. Mairi, of course, immediately starts using the new pronouns. The other kids aren’t nearly so accepting. Names are called, people are punched, enemies are made. The adults do nothing.

 

            Kyle doesn’t need adults. He has five years of pranking experience under his belt. To the vocal ones, the ones that bother to call him names and push him around, he deals out swift and merciless punishment. Ripped up homework, bugs in their desks, the works. Again, the adults do nothing. Eventually, he cracks down harder, sends home fake letters for bad grades, bad behavior. Mairi turns a blind eye to what he’s doing, and his bullies come to school with broken teeth every now and again. Mairi sits so prim and proper that you barely notice the bandages on her knuckles.

 

            Eventually, nobody dares to cross Kyle again, and he becomes a sort of icon in the town. His friend group grows, and people stay on his good side. His dad starts tousling his hair and calling him “sport.”

 

            One day, Kyle overhears his mom talking to a relative about how she’s not sure if “this transgender stuff” is a phase or not. That night, Kyle cuts off the hair that tickles the back of his neck. It’s messy, but he doesn’t care. He wants there to never be any confusion about his gender ever again.

 

            The next morning, he confronts his mom about it. She apologizes profusely, and as an "I'm sorry" gift buys him a binder, a real one. Over the next two weeks, they go to at least five different doctor’s appointments before finally they’re handed a prescription for puberty blockers. They’re lucky, the doctor says, that Kyle is such a late bloomer.

 

            The puberty blockers work, or start to work, anyways. The binder offers Kyle the support he needs to get through the day without too many weird stares from adults. The kids are all too in awe of him to be disgusted.

 

            And then Mighty Mike comes to Earth, and takes away everything Kyle has worked for. His friends, the respect that he’s fought tooth and nail for—gone. Mairi is the only one that really stays, and even then she too is entranced by Mike.

 

            And why wouldn’t she be? Mike is blonde, and tan, and freckled, and blue-eyed, and all-American. Better yet, he doesn’t have an old name following him around, and if he’s something other than cis, he’s able to pass with the world none the wiser. Of _course_ everyone flocks to him. Kyle hates him and everything he took from him.

 

            Kyle is strong, though. Mighty Mike did one thing right, at least, by giving him superpowers. Kyle’s new smarts propel him to great metaphorical heights, and Kyle’s flight propels him to great literal heights. Kyle adapts, rethinks, plans. He’s always been good at that.

 

            He builds a laser, to embarrass Mighty Mike. Maybe that’ll be enough to shock everyone, just long enough for him to reclaim his old throne. He needs that control back.

 

            He doesn’t get much sleep and he ends up blasting the town to bits with his extremely volatile laser. Mighty Mike punches him in the face, in front of everyone. Kyle goes home and sleeps off the anger.

 

            When he wakes up, the news is calling him “the Blue Freak,” which is significantly less cool than “the Azure Avenger,” the name that he wanted. He can’t help but notice, though, that they call the Blue Freak a “he.” Just once, as they favor the words “attacker” and “supervillain” more, but still. It’s probably the full face mask he wears, and the double-layered t-shirt which makes him look flat, and the distracting cape. They’re too focused on his laser to question his gender. They hate him, which definitely isn’t fun, but Kyle almost likes the attention.

 

            Kyle isn’t sure if it’s the attention or the pronoun usage, but for whatever reason, he continues to cause havoc in his hometown. He upgrades, makes more and more complex machines. It’s not even about Mike at this point, although being able to fight him freely is a plus. He starts to look forward to their interactions.

 

            Bit by bit, he reclaims his old power, and then goes beyond that. People are scared of him, and Kyle _loves_ it. Sure, being liked is nice and all, but being hated is so exhilarating. As long as Mairi and his parents love him, he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. And if the world’s going to hate him anyways, why not embrace it?

 

            A month after Kyle becomes the Blue Freak, he steals a barrel of chemicals for his biochemical forge from Lundergaard Labs. The army fires at him, and then calls Mighty Mike. He tussles with Mike, and escapes with his supplies in a burst of blinding laser chaff. He’s used to it by now.

 

            That night, on the news, they show the impromptu interview that Mike gave right after Kyle got away. “The Blue Freak can’t keep getting away with it,” he says. “One of these days, I’ll hammer him down.”

 

            Even the usage of a malapropism can’t stop the smile that comes to Kyle’s face.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/Comments/Messages to @archvillain-fandom on Tumblr always appreciated!


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